Louis Vuitton is a force in the fashion world, but its contribution to the art world is not any less significant either. The long history of the brand’s support was celebrated in a retrospect at Beverly Hills.
Since its inception in 1854, Louis Vuitton has collaborated with a number of artists, architects and designers for art projects. It has not only joined hands with established artists but also gave a platform for emerging ones. Some of the names associated with the brand over the years are Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince, Yayoi Kusama, Jeff Koons, Frank Gehry, Cindy Sherman and Zaha Hadid.
This long history of collaborations found itself a resting spot in a retrospective organized by the brand itself. Titled “Louis Vuitton X”, the exhibition included 180 of the most famous collaborations by Louis Vuitton. The grand exhibition took two floors in the iconic Beverly Hills building located on Rodeo Drive. Opened in the summer and accessible to the public only on weekends, the exhibition was clearly a hit. The organizers had to extend the exhibition’s run by a month, which will conclude today.
The items included in the exhibition each tell a story of its own. The most interesting series among them was the “Art on Silk” room, a collection of works made on textile. The original series was created in the 1980s when street artists were asked to create art on silk scarves by the brand. Louis Vuitton complemented the artworks with exotic designs of its own. Every artwork on exhibition was decorated with exquisite curtains, gowns and perfume bottles.
As a conclusion to the exhibition, Louis Vuitton introduced their latest collection of handbags called ArtyCapucines. The most recent collections saw the participation of artists like Jonas Wood and Alex Israel. Wood, in particular, has collaborated with the brand on multiple occasions. He also contributed on the “Art on Silk” series.
Aside from the exhibition, the brand is committed to extending its presence in the art world. It reopened its flagship in London recently and opened a new flagship in Seoul last month.
